Blitzliebe!
by doctor.denver
Summary: Monika Weiss might be the no-nonsense genius of the Bundespolizei, but somehow, Elias Kötz always finds a way to melt her heart. Set before the events of Rainbow Six: Siege. The sixth chapter is out!
1. Chapter 1 - Übung mit Monika

**Foreword:** Blitzliebe is a story about Monika and Elias before they joined Rainbow. GrimGravy's See You Soon inspired me to make a story about these two! I will try to make their relationship as realistic as possible, after all, they are professional counter-terrorist operatives. Anyway, enjoy reading.

* * *

**Übung mit Monika - Exercise With Monika**

* * *

The cold February wind slapped her face like it did yesterday. Every muscle in her body moved— her hair was swept aback, like a flag catching the wind. Beads of sweat occasionally cascade down her forehead. She was definitely alive.

But the citizens of Sankt Agustin, by the Rhein-Sieg-Kreis, were still yet to start their day. To Monika Weiss, it was perfect for another morning jog. Waking up at three o'clock in the morning had its perks. For example, every stoplight became obsolete as swarms of cars were yet to occupy the roads. The silence of the streets paved way for a peaceful jog from one end of the city to another. Everyday since the end of grueling police training, Monika made sure to seize the day as early as possible, and what more could a light jog offer?

As her legs started to feel the light but manageable cramps, the song playing on her MP3 started to fade away, queuing the next song. If her gut was right, the next piece of music that would play will be Übungsfreuden, a trending song that had recently reached top charts. It was one that she would deem unprofessional and childish, but here she was, anticipating it. Who could blame her? It was as catchy as a fever.

It started, and she hummed the notes. She had no disregard for the possibility of someone hearing her, for as she covered block after block, nobody was there to see her.

A few seconds had passed when she realized something peculiar. She stopped humming, and it dawned on her— like an echo, somebody else was humming to the song! Not only that, but to her right, the sound of soft rapid clomps began to rise, too! She turned to its direction, and her eyes widened with surprise.

It was Elias Kötz— and he was jogging beside her! A friend from the GSG-9; someone that would tease her non-stop— and he had heard her singing such an embarrassing song!

Her sneakers skid to a halt. "Kötz!? What are you doing here?"

Elias halted too. He turned to Monika, and upon seeing her flustered face, he burst out of laughter like a bomb. It looked like he was trying hard to contain it.

"Bwahahahaha!" He wiped a tear from his eye. "Oh god... that... that song! Hahahaha!"

Blood rushed to Monika's cheeks. She mentally cringed at herself. This was bad. Really bad. She could already feel her sisters shaming her, though they were many miles away.

"You— argh!" she pushed him, but Elias's athletic build had kept him from moving in his place. "You're not going to get away with this, Kötz!"

The man wiped a tear from his eye. "Who would've thought the you of all people would be listening to... to Übungsfreuden?"

Monika had covered her face at that point. Elias Kötz himself was calling her unprofessional— the audacity of such a thing. Still, she kept her temper like a well-mannered person would do.

"It just came up," she said. She turned her gaze away, and into the somber streets beside her.

Elias's laugh started to fade away with every breath. Already, silence had washed upon the pair as Monika's cheeks failed to stop heating up like an overworked processor. Elias realized this.

"Hey," he said. He playfully punched her arm. "I listen to it, too."

Monika heaved a sigh. "No doubt."

Elias took a glace upon his watch. "It's seven in the morning. I reckon you're finishing up your exercise?"

"I am. So, do you mind answering my question?"

"The question of whether I should or should not bring this up ever again?"

It was Monika's turn to punch his arm. "No! I meant why are you here?"

"I was going to eat by the diner. Then I remembered that you told me your jogging routes, so I decided to stop by, greet you, make you flustered—"

"I'm not—" Monika's words were cut short when she felt for her cheeks. "That is unfair, I WAS exercising."

Elias chuckled. "I know."

The blonde woman scowled at him. "I won't forgive you unless you buy me a meal."

A smirk formed in Elias's lips. "Come on, let's buy you a salad."

* * *

The golden rays of sunshine pierced through the decorated windows of Otto's Diner, illuminating the interiors with the glow of another morning. Only a few people, including Monika and Elias, were occupying the small lunchroom— as it was again for every breakfast they shared in the morning. It wasn't the bustling afternoon yet, so the pair could enjoy the sweet serenity of Rhein-Sieg-Kreis before the noise of civilization rises.

Elias took a seat adjacent to the wall, in the soft shadows where the morning sun couldn't bother their eyes. Monika plopped down on the opposite side of the booth, wiping the sweat from her forehead with a hand-towel. The word Bundespolizei plastered in the corner of the fabric.

The booth was very familiar. They had been here before. She remembered— it was the middle of a cold December, when Otto's Diner first opened. Echoes of past conversations, there in the same spot, were well ringing out with nostalgia. A year had passed since their friendship, as well as teasing and antics, blossomed.

"... of the French Consulate. Police have yet to find out the extremist group's motivation for yesterday's events, and extensive investigations are being made for the identities of the perpetrators. Just this morning, the National Police spokesperson released a statement saying that ..."

The news blared on the television. Monika took her eyes away from the ceiling-mounted TV, and focused on her salad.

"Jeez, really? That is France's second terrorist attack this month." Elias commented. He leaned backwards and stretched his neck, but his eyes kept on the news. "Good thing that Germany is well and good."

"For now," Monika said.

"Hey, don't jinx it, Monika!" Elias joked. A waitress laid down a tray on their table, containing a bland-looking cheeseburger and a cup of soda. "Ah! Thank you!"

"I am not jinxing it. First it was that resort in Spain, that building in Russia, then that employment agency in Poland. It's only a matter of time before those people reach Germany. We have to be ready when that happens." Monika said.

Unfortunately, the news would often talk about the rise of terrorism over the past few years, with each year having attacks more than the last. The perpetrators from all over Europe, Asia, and portions of North America were rumored to be one group. An international terrorist organization, most people would fear. Their identities, if found at all, have widely different backgrounds.

Elias shifted in his seat. "No doubt."

"So stop eating those burgers and be prepared, Kötz," Monika remarked. Elias's chewing was interrupted by her words.

"What's wrong with burgers?" He swallowed. "It's my favorite."

"It's unhealthy, and that's not what a soldier should eat. I guess I'm just concerned about you."

"Why? Do you love me?"

Monika almost choked on her salad.

Did she hear that right?

Her heart went from zero to a hundred, like a racecar. Already, like lightning, her cheeks flared up, though she wasn't able to fully comprehend what he just said. A slew of rigidness washed over her muscles.

"I— I just, you—" she stumbled on her words.

"Bwahahaha!" Elias burst into laughter.

The nerve of him!

"Kötz! You little—"

"You should've— hahahaha! You should've seen your face!" Elias's words being cut off by shorts of laughter and joy. A few cheerful seconds have passed and he was already holding his stomach.

Meanwhile, Monika couldn't face him. She avoided looking to his general direction, and instead gazed upon the rest of the diner, hiding her flustered face. That was the second time today!

She cleared her throat. "That was... unprofessional."

"Hmm? We're not in any workplace."

Monika took a puff. "Sure."

There was a pregnant pause.

Elias leaned in. "Are you blushing, Monika Weiss?"

Her eyes widened. "No!"

Elias leaned back. A toothy grin coated his face. "If you say so."

_Am I losing again to Elias Kötz? Don't let your guard down, Monika. You're a genius, you should be able to find something to get back at him._

But so far, nothing sprang to her mind as the news reporter from the television continued to speak.

"... midst of rising political tension in the Middle East. Foreign intervention was considered by the UN as a 'necessary act' to contain growing acts terrorism in national borders, however, President Charles Prescott released a statement about his disapproval of... "

"Anyway, the Bundespolizei will be holding training exercises next week with the French National Gendarmerie. Have you heard?" Elias asked. To Monika's relief, he changed the topic.

Upon her realization of what he just said, she perked up. "With the French?"

Elias nodded. "Yes. IF we're lucky, we'll see some of GIGN's finest. Plus, I'm learning their language as well! I can't wait to practice my French. Wanna hear my progress?"

Monika always admired this aspect of Elias, which was his ability to easily grasp a language's concept. Being fluent in Dutch, Monika had taught him for six months and he had easily acquired proficiency. If she remembered right, Elias once told her that he planned to become fluent among ten languages, like a polyglot. So far, he has mastered four. Apparently, the French language was next.

"French? Since when did you start learning it?" Monika asked.

Elias looked at the ceiling. "Erm, about a week ago."

"Okay... then let me hear what you sound like, _Monsieur_ Kötz."

Elias smiled. Then, he cleared his throat. "Monika,_ tu es vraiment belle_!"

He said it with elegance. The beautiful swerving of words; already, it sounded like it came from another personality. As if German Kotz and French Kotz were two separate people,

Monika had took a bite of her salad. She laid down her spoon and swallowed. "What does that mean?"

"Ehh, it's a secret," Elias said. A smirk had crept up on his lips.

It was probably a tease! "Hey!"

"Hahahaha! Don't worry, I didn't call you an egghead," Elias teased. It was on!

Knowing him, he probably called her something similar to that. Did Elias tease her... in another language?

"That is unfair. For all I know you could've been saying all colorful words about me." Monika huffed.

"Fine, fine." Elias muttered. He pulled out a napkin from the table and a pen from his brown leather jacket. After scribbling the words, he slid it across the table and into Monika, who had just drank water. "This was what I said."

Monika looked at the napkin once again. "Tu... es... vrai— vraiment? Tu es vraiment belle?"

She had completely butchered the pronunciation. Raising an eyebrow, she said, "Why don't you just say it?"

"It's better if you find out for yourself." Elias replied.

"But I don't have my phone with me."

"Then wait until you get home."

* * *

After an hour-long conversation with Elias, Monika was satisfied with her free meal. The pair had split, for the day had something in mind to give to both of them. Elias had to look over the Bundespolizei PSOCC all the way to Bremen, while Monika had to get back to her home— there was still a triple-band GNSS that needs to fit in a small hand-sized motherboard.

Monika opened the door to her apartment. Even the ambient noises of outside seemed to have drowned out in her home. The rays of sunshine had highlighted the dancing dust and particles that had only somewhat made her home a lot more... lonely. She didn't mind it, but the realization had came since she spent the past hours bantering with Elias. It was a stark and a fast contrast.

For some reason, she felt like the day wasn't going to be as productive as she wanted. She had been working for a week straight now. The Bundespolizei wanted a new model for the Spectre before their conference in March, and so far, she had only finished what seemed to be half of the final product she envisioned. She didn't know what it is. Was it a burn out? Was Monika Weiss starting to feel... lazy? She shuddered at that thought.

Elias told her he wasn't going to be seeing her for a week. Their goodbyes from earlier felt lackluster. Professional, but lackluster. Normally she wouldn't have been bothered by it— goodbyes and farewells were sappy unless it came from family.

_But..._

She sighed. Changing to a white shirt, she plopped down on her queen-sized bed, the mattress wavering from her weight. With her hand, she brought her phone in front of her face, and turned it on. Opening Google Translate was the first thing she did.

Remembering what Elias said, she typed the words 'Monika, tu es vraiment belle!' to see what the hell did he actually meant.

The English translation said:

_**"Monika, you are so beautiful!"**_

Her cheeks flared up once more as she turned the device off. She held it close to her chest, smiling sheepishly. A burst of energy sprung in her veins like lightning— she knew it: her day was going to be _very_ productive.

* * *

Constructive criticism is always welcome! For now, this is a one-shot. However, if you want to see more, tell me. I have more stories for these two!

Also, assume that they're all speaking German. Dialogue is italicized when anyone is speaking another language. I want this to be an English story, but I also don't want to add German dialogue then having to type in the English translation after it. It's tedious, and it's best reserved for other kinds of stories.

* * *

Elias teases Monika on her taste in music.


	2. Chapter 2 - Blümelein

**Blümelein - Flowers**

* * *

The sun had already begun its slow decent above the horizon. Soon enough, the streets of Sankt-Augustin will be bathed by the golden light of sunset, and then, the shadows of twilight. Newly arrived officers of the Bundespolizei would be carrying over the shift to ensure that the streets of Germany were in good hands, even in the dark. Luckily for Monika Weiss, her schedule at work just ended. She wouldn't have to indulge herself into more work after a long day, when she should be sleeping at her bedtime.

_*thud*_

A heavy stack of police reports and documents hit the desk- the last of them. Paperwork was still a pain in the ass, but she supposed that joining law enforcement would have its fair share of document-intensive jobs. As usual, she thought her day could've been twice as productive. It was a stark contrast to the events that happened last week- troops from the GSG 9 were called in a Departmentally Mandated Training in Munich, where they trained for twelve hours and field-tested new equipment from all kinds of territories. MEDCOM, DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Project Agency) which was straight from the USA, some of BPOL's own stuff, and finally, CalTech. She remembered the lieutenant praising the genius behind her prized Spectre: the famed RED MkII, though she remained a stern face once everyone commended her. She won't fall for the bashful or boastful spectrum, no matter how renowned she was with her peers.

It was mostly a review of tactics. Some new, some old. Surprisingly, paint-ball was used extensively in a practice hostage situation where men and women from different districts of the Federal Police partook in. She was one of the assault team that was responsible for securing the hostage. And every shot from her gun was an opponent leaving the kill-house. She _definitely_ topped the scores. However, Elias said it wasn't as fun as the things he did in Bremen. No drones, no shock drones, and no Rhino Plates from the French GIGN's trust tests. He probably only said that because he wasn't praised as usual for his athleticism.

Speak of the devil...

"...and then he said, what about my Harley Davidson?"

Burst of laughter proclaimed throughout the room, prompting Monika to whirl her head and glance at the jovial commotion. Elias and a bearded workmate had just reached the climax of their bantering; it usually happens when the former cracks the funniest joke he could think of. It wasn't the best thing to do in the workplace, but she knew she should let it slide for now. After all, a fellow officer was leaving their station, and probably BPOL itself.

Dominic Brunsmeier. A good cop. Nobody could deny his excellency at his job, even though it had only been a short time- three months- since he joined their humble little station in the middle of the Rhein-Sieg Kreis. Everybody listened to his stories from his days as an undercover cop, and one of her favorites was his infiltration of the Hell's Angels Clubhouse in Hanover. It was exceptional work, and it was quite sad to see a _famous_ troop leaving their station.

Still, she was somewhat annoyed by Brunsmeier's chemistry with Elias. For those three months, the station saw a huge spike of laughter and general _unprofessionalism_ , as Monika would call it, but she presumed it was a good thing for morale. Though she preferred a more silent one.

A few seconds later, their conversation died down. A hug, a handshake, and a goodbye, Dominic left the room with a heavy duffel bag. Elias looked devastated as he approached Monika's cubicle.

"You didn't say goodbye?" Elias inquired.

"I already did..." Monika said, arranging the last binder in an organized manner. "...three hours ago."

It wasn't really a goodbye, more like a general workplace obligation of a thank you and a good luck amidst a member's resignation . Goodbyes were sappy, anyway.

Seeing everything neat in her cubicle, and for the rest of the office, Monika was quite satisfied. Everything looked orderly and immaculate, and it was all thanks to her. Perhaps, today wasn't so bad.

"Do you want me to drive you home?" Elias said.

Monika rolled her eyes. She recalled the unfortunate events yesterday. Right before her eyes, she saw a lamppost, along with her favorite bike, get totaled by an SUV driven by a bad case of DUI. When the driver was rightfully confronted, the badge she waved in front of his face was enough to make him calm down and realize his mistake. After that, a short trip to the police station was inevitable.

Much to her consternation, she had to allocate some of her budget in engineering to a new bike. For now, she had to take the bus or ride with Elias. If she wanted to save money, she was going to have to choose the much cheaper choice.

She sighed. "Sure, Kötz."

...

* * *

Surprisingly, Elias's car smelled delicate. Sure, the AC was turned off, and the windows were wide open, but a good whiff reminded Monika of a newly-bought car. A goofy bear charm was hung as decoration from the rear-view mirror. The steering wheel was encased with a black rubber cover, with lightning bolts peppered atop the background. And when her eyes trailed to the windshield, numerous stickers plastered on the corner were now sticking out in contrast to the outside's color palettes. None of it surprised her, but if Monika got her own car, she would try her best to make it look like it was straight from the factory.

After the pair ran past a green-light, the driver decided to break the silence.

"Hey, can we stop by the flowershop for a moment? I have something to buy," he said.

"Huh? Why?"

"For Valentine's Day, obviously," Elias explained.

Monika was caught off-guard by the answer. Pulling out her phone from her comfortable white sweater, she quickly came to the dawning realization that today was indeed the fourteenth day of February. She marveled at the fact that she forgot. Then, the blonde quickly jumped to the more important question.

Was Elias going to give someone... flowers?

She shook her head. There was no way she was going to ask that question. As far as she knew, she didn't care. It was probably for someone else. An acquaintance, perhaps? Did he have a lady friend that Monika didn't know? Did he...

"Do you want to know why?"

For some reason, Monika was relieved to hear the question. "Sure, why not? Are you giving someone flowers?"

"Yes..."

Oh... Monika raised an eyebrow. "To whom?"

"A lady friend."

Something invisible struck her, but she didn't know what it was. It didn't take a fool to know that Elias probably had someone in mind. After all, it was Valentine's Day- he wouldn't buy those flowers for himself. And he certainly bought them to give it to someone special. For what? A romantic gesture?

Whatever it is, it shouldn't matter. There were much more pressing things that needed attention, and she mentally scoffed at herself for being curious as to the identity of this mystery lady-friend. Giving someone flowers because a calendar marked a specific 24-hour period was pointless in the grand scheme of things. Plants decay. There were much better cultures that the Western world had come up with. Monika had never received flowers from someone on this particular date, probably because she was too busy to deal with something as trivial as that.

But a part of her wanted to experience it. She often wondered what it felt like. Many times in television, films, and any other piece of media, there was always this one girl that would receive flowers from a handsome campy boy. Usually, the character's eyes would widen, her smile would reach from ear-to-ear after a moment of pure disbelief, and books would always describe the feeling of such things as 'getting butterflies in your stomach'. She has yet to be in the receiving end of a bouquet, or just a little rose freshly plucked from a garden, in real life.

It wasn't like she needed it or anything.

"So, do you have any idea what this new job Dominic's talking about?" Elias suddenly asked. With that, the mood inside the car changed.

"It's probably Federal Intelligence Agency. It works for him," Monika guessed. Brunsmeier often dodged the questions regarding his new job; even saying it was very confidential, and that even the counter-terrorist unit of the Bundespolizei shouldn't have any form of information about it. Based on his experience as one of the most proficient undercover cops in BPOL, there was a good chance it was an Intelligence Agency. Another good chance that it was an Intelligence Agency abroad.

"Let's just hope it's not a pyramid scheme," Elias giggled at his own joke.

"Because you would fall for that?"

"Why would I?"

"Nothing." Monika said with a playful smirk,

"Oh, you made a joke," Elias replied with another chuckle. "I see. It doesn't suit you, though."

The car decelerated, and came to a stop near the sidewalk. Before Monika could open her mouth, she saw what looks to be a flowershop just across the street. The small boutique was decorated with all kinds of plant life- adorned with pink to yellow petals and decorative pots that served as welcoming designs for the quaint business. A large pink banner was draped above the glass door, with the curly words 'Valentine's Special'.

"I'll be quick." Elias swiftly opened the door and slid himself out of the car, looking both sides of the street before he crossed it. A dozen steps after, he was already inside the shop.

There was like a bug that won't go down in her mind. Something to do with who this mystery lady-friend was... but Monika knew better than to stick her nose in something that was none of her business.

Could it be... her?

The blonde scoffed and disaffirmed that possibility. There was a high chance she wasn't the recipient of those sweet, fragrant flowers that probably meant something special.

Right?

Monika furrowed her eyebrows. The itch to over-analyze like a BPOL detective was consuming every part of her body- for some reason, she NEEDED to know who that was. And so after a few seconds of self-introspection, she decided it was enough.

First, Elias Kötz mostly have male friends, like most men his age. The only women that she knew he was friends with were their station's BPOL darlings, mainly Officer Weber and Detective Keller from the second floor. Regarding his acquaintances outside work, there was another low chance that he even had a lady friend, all because of the fact that Elias was a blabbermouth. Always talking about his life, and for one moment he did not mention a particular person he was interested in, either romantically or some other aspect like that, in work or outside work. If there was, he has to be hiding it... It would be the only thing that would make sense.

_It would be the only thing that would make sense._

Monika had essentially silenced herself.

Another scoff escaped her lips. Did she just thought of all that? Did she use her ingenuity to something so pointless as to find out was Elias's love interest? There was no arguing about that fact- and she was disappointed at herself. After all, why would she really want flowers? It might be nice receiving them, but she didn't have to.

The driver's door opened, revealing Elias with a bouquet of flowers on one hand. Monika didn't bother to see what kind of specimen he bought. Plopping down his seat and closing the door beside him, the man took a deep breath and exhaled.

"Hey," he started, "are you okay?"

"Hmph. Of course," Monika replied. "Why?"

"Well, we aren't conversing like usual... I just thought if there's something bothering you."

"There's really nothing to talk about, Kötz."

"I guess you're right," Elias said. "Here."

A bright blur appeared on the bottom corner of her vision. Monika quickly turned her head around to see what it was-

For a moment, she was out of breath- her friend reached out to her with the bouquet of flowers held by one hand. Tulips, daisies, and a touch of bell flower adorned the cluster of the floral gift. She could already smell them, and she didn't have time to suppress her immediate reaction- a warm feeling suddenly bubbled inside her chest. Her genius brain couldn't believe it; Elias was giving them to her.

_What!?_

"I... Umm...?"

"Can you hold this for a minute? I'm gonna tie my shoes." The man smiled.

The weight of a Panzerkampfwagen dropped on her shoulders, followed by a quick feeling of disappointment. Then a slight anger. She didn't even have the time to comprehend it fully.

There came a pregnant pause.

"Thank you!" Elias said.

Monika, with a bouquet of flowers that was definitely not hers, could only gape as her friend bent over and tied the laces of his sneakers.

...

* * *

"...video from Marseille, France has made its way in to social media. A two-minute clip of a recent hostage situation in Cafés Debout shows what seems to be a two-wheeled robot, equipped with a tazer, rolling to the action as GIGN surround the..."

The news buzzed on from the car's radio, but inside her friend's vehicle, the GSG 9's prized genius kept her thoughts loud in her head. Every neuron in her brain wanted to neutralize the callbacks from what had just happened, but to no avail. She couldn't believe it. She let her guard down. One thing's for certain, however: Elias had defeated her.

Damn you, Kötz!

As soon as he started talking again, Monika was quick to hop aboard the conversation. Anything to hide and cover-up her priceless reaction from earlier, making sure it seemed like nothing happened.

She should've known. Elias was obviously going to tease her, especially after the fact it was Valentine's Day. She let her guard down, and now, she had to pay the price of being totally embarrassed and flustered over nothing. Elias sounded nonchalant, and his eyes kept on the road ahead. Smile as he might, but the little scoundrel was probably laughing at her right now... It was all the more likely he was suppressing some sort of satisfaction in fooling a friend like that.

It was a game of cat and mouse. It has always been like that, and it has been raging on for a year now- ever since they met. For every defeat, she punished herself at the end of the day with ten extra sit-ups, but it depends on the intensity of the loss. A monumental blow like this was worth at least twenty.

"I met this man... his name's Marius Streicher. He's stationed in Berlin. I hear he has this device that... erm... shoots deadly projectiles in the air before they go off. Cool stuff, right?"

Monika snapped out of her buzzing thoughts. There was still something to talk about for the time on the road they have left. They were nearing Monika's residence now, so she prepared her MilTac bag from work to make a quick stride to her apartment once they arrive.

"Well, that's what active protection systems do... typical military stuff." Monika huffed. "Probably from Bundeswehr."

"No no no," Elias said. "It's portable. He can carry three of them in combat, and it shoots down grenades, flashbangs- all of them. They said it could not be done, but there it was! I know what an ADS is; I'm not dumb, Ice Queen."

"Again with the repugnant nicknames?"

"Repugnant?"

"You heard me, Kotz." Monika flashed a sideways scowl. From the corner of her eye, those flowers were still visible. A heavy feeling swelled in her chest.

Suddenly, her apartment came into view. Sandwiched between similar pale colored structures was the familiar light red building. Three stories and three balconies. Windows with white outskirts made it look like the typical European construction. Monika wasn't the type to dwell on sweet looks, but her apartment always looked cozy, making a good consolation in entering a new residence. She was home once again, or at least, at her home in Sankt-Augustin. It was a far cry from Leipzig, sure, but it did the job for housing her in a different part of the country.

The blonde opened the door, but paused momentarily. "Oh... and thank you, by the way."

"I'm glad to be of service, Fraulein Weiss," he commented. Another silly remark.

She looked at back and flashed a bland smile before closing the door. Another sigh escaped from her lips. Monika was ready to climb up the brick stairs leading up to the front door, when suddenly, a voice called her from behind.

"Hey..." it was Elias. That was already a dead giveaway.

Monika turned around, only to see him holding his arms behind his back. He had just got out of his car.

"What?"

As Elias approached the annoyed woman, he smiled. A genuine one- Monika could see it on his face. For some reason, the feeling of intrigue raced through her veins like a jolt of lightning-fast electricity. A mountainous amount of assumptions and hypotheses was formulating inside her mind, as much as she wanted to suppress them.

Then, it happened. Elias revealed that stupid bouquet of flowers he had bought and gently held it out between him and Monika. At first, the latter was surprised, but immediately fell into a mild vexation. It was a bad move. A blunder. Elias couldn't just pull the same trick twice!

"I'm not going to fall for that!" Monika exclaimed. "S...Seriously!?"

Unless...

Elias maintained his smile; a soft chuckle made his eyes squint for a little while. "What do you mean?"

"That little trick you pulled earlier- you... you're not..."

"Happy Valentine's Day, Monika Weiss," he cut her off. "Thank you... for being a great friend."

The blonde was tranquilized with what felt like something she couldn't describe. For the first time, her genius brain seemed to need a reboot to even comprehend what was happening. Elias. He was giving her flowers. The moment felt like a freeze in time itself. It HAD to be palpable, but somehow, the darkest pit on the back of her mind could only consider it unreal. Yet, it was unfolding right before her eyes. This wasn't another prank. Only bad friends would go that far- and Elias wasn't a bad friend.

"I swear, Kötz, if this is another tease... I-I don't know what I'll do to you!"

"Calm down, you," Elias assured her. "It's not another tease, though I don't know what made you come up with such a conclusion in the first place..."

He smirked. _Oh he definitely knew what he was doing!_

"So are you going to accept these flowers or not?"

Monika snapped out of her emotions and reached out to Elias. Before she knew it, the bouquet was in her grasps- she was holding it. It felt surreal. Still, she tried her best to maintain a stern face, though it probably wouldn't matter. After all, something like this was more than enough to make her cheeks redden.

She blinked. Perhaps to make sure everything wasn't some sort of hallucination. She came up with a quick conclusion that it really wasn't.

"Thank you..." Monika muttered.

"Whew. For a moment I thought you were going to reject it." Elias beamed. "If you did, I probably would've gave it to my other lady friend."

"Shut up."

"Is it too unprofessional?"

Monika blew air from her nose. "Yes. But I don't mind this that much..."

Elias burst into laughter. "Okay, okay. See you tomorrow?"

"Sure, sure. Whatever," Monika said, although tomorrow was their day-off. But she wouldn't mind eating with him in Otto's Diner once again.

Elias got inside his car and drove off. After turning right on a nearby intersection, he was completely gone from her view, but Monika stayed on the same spot. She was unmoved. She dwelled on the fact that it was her first time receiving such a gift.

_A great friend._ She was always drowning in the desire to get back at Elias, and he was always finding ways to continue teasing a hardened professional of the GSG 9, but nobody could deny that their friendship was something special. Monika felt a little bit like an idiot looking back at how much she thirsted for revenge. It was all for the fun and games. Perhaps the fact that her intense fear for losing didn't help, but one thing's for certain:

She still didn't know where to put it inside her apartment.

* * *

**Well, it's a bit longer than the first chapter!**

**Once again, just imagine them speaking German. I don't have enough time going through translations (though _ich weiss ein bisschen auf die deutsche Sprache_). Any other dialogue spoken in Italics are of different language, probably English. Constructive criticism is always welcome! Thanks for reading!**

**Oh, and feel free to suggest ideas and scenarios that you want Elias and Monika to experience. I'm always listening to ideas, though I might have to change it up a little to fit the story :)**

* * *

Elias pranks Monika on the dreaded Valentine's Day.


	3. Chapter 3 - Albtraum

**Albtraum - Nightmares**

* * *

Monika dreamt of a cold, steely bullet.

It pierced through the protective kevlar covering her chest. It pierced through her skin, and through her sternum that shattered a million bones from her ribs.

She dreamt of herself inside the KBW Bankengruppe, laying on the marble floors, swimming in her own pool of blood. The bullet was still inside her. Her blood struggled to find its way with the piece of lead lodged near her spine, and now, she couldn't move.

She scanned the lobby, but the shooter was nowhere to be found.

There's nothing there, Monika. You're dreaming.

The radio on her shoulder tempted her to cry for help. She wanted to scream, but all that came from her lips was a pathetic croak.

The sound of footsteps filled her ears. Monika turned her head around to see where they come from, and the sight of armed men presented itself before her pools of blue. They were lined in a column, rifles ready, and backs against the wall. The man that lead them was familiar: it was Elias.

Monika felt a sense of relief. Then, a sense of dread. Her own squad paid no attention to her pitiful condition like she wasn't there with them. Like the blood spurting out from her chest was nothing, and that the thick crimson forming on the floor didn't matter.

She felt her heart break into a million pieces.

But that was okay. There was a mission to complete.

Elias motioned to charge— with his G52 ballistic shield, the squad pushed to the lobby where they pointed their guns at every possible location of an enemy.

*clink*

A grenade fell in front of them.

"GRENADE! GET DO—!" Elias screamed.

At that moment, Monika's face turned pale. She reached out her hand like she could've done something as the men scrambled for their lives.

She wanted to scream again, but the explosion that erupted from Elias's feet consumed her words in a fiery manner.

"No..."

As the thick grey smoke cleared, only the bloodcurdling screams of her team remained. Silhouettes of dead soldiers laid with her on the floor, motionless and buried under dust and shrapnel. Maroon splatters tainted the ground like a sickly painting. Nobody was standing anymore, but someone was still alive, crying in unrivalled pain.

*BANG*

The screaming stopped when the gunshot boomed.

Another silhouette presented itself from the smoke, unscathed and grim as he stepped over the bodies of the GSG 9. A pistol swung with his stern arms, smoke billowing from the barrel.

"Please... don't..." Monika sobbed. The man approached her.

She looked to him— but his face was warped with black, twisted void. There was no face. No sign of humanity. There was only the enemy, faceless and ghastly as Monika tried to spell out what he was— that is, before the figure pointed a gun at her face. Now, she stared down the barrel of her death.

All she saw was a blast of flames, and all she heard was another bang.

* * *

Monika bolted upright.

She immediately felt for her handgun on the drawer, ready to shoot back. But all she saw was her morning-lit bedroom. The mirror in front of her reflected what seemed to be a crying Monika— her cheeks were wet with tears.

She took a long, deep breath. Just a dream. Don't be so dramatic.

The blonde put a hand on her chest. Her heartbeat was faster than a 20-core processor.

Alright, Monika. Focus on something else.

The digital clock beside her P12 read 7:20 AM— crap, she woke up an hour late for jogging routine. Good thing today was a day-off.

Her windows were pierced by uncountable rays of inviting sunshine, lighting up her room enough to see everything. The cobalt violet wallpapers, the boxes of industry-standard pureflex wires she still hasn't returned from GSG 9's R&D, a bland looking drawer, and her new Fused Filament Fabrication 3D printer. She could even see her CalTech diploma gleaming across the room. Now that Monika had woken up much later in the morning, she could now see how messy everything was.

A sigh escaped from her lips. That stupid dream still hasn't left her mind.

Monika glanced at her phone, and thought of something she really hasn't done before. Grabbing it, she turned it on and scrolled through her contacts. There were two options: call him or text him. Since she hated being called on the phone herself, she resorted to writing a text message.

**Kötz.**

**I am sure you're awake by now. Do you want to eat at Otto's Diner?**

Monika was about to clean up her room when she felt her phone vibrate. Seriously? That fast?

**Elias Kötz: **good morning to you too!

She rolled her eyes.

**Monika:** So, do you want to or not?

**Elias Kötz:** hmmmm. let me think about it

**Monika: **Why? It's a yes or no question. If you don't want to, then just say no.

**Elias Kötz:** i'm doing something with rachel :)

Monika felt her chest tighten, and she was out of breath. Her deadpan face suddenly turned to a frown.

Detective Keller? What the hell is he doing with her? Are they dating?

She obliterated those thoughts right away, realizing how ridiculous it was fawning over that idea. If they were dating, Elias would've already told her. And really, it didn't matter if Elias dated someone or not, because she didn't care about that and she only cared about being professional, not some unrealistic high school romance plot way over-saturated by the movies.

Still, she couldn't help but feel a little somber. For some reason, Monika needed to talk to someone. Someone she was comfortable with, especially after that dream. She couldn't just call her sisters on the phone, and her parents were still probably in that vacation in Hawaii. Damn it, she cursed. Elias really had to bail out on her when she needed him.

**Monika:** Okay.

Monika stood up and made her bed. She brushed her teeth, took a shower, and was already on her way to work at the Spectre when her phone vibrated once again.

**Elias Kötz:** hey ice queen

**Monika:** What?

**Elias Kötz:** i'm here

Monika furrowed her eyebrows.

**Monika:** _Where?_

**Elias Kötz: **otto's diner :P

**Monika:** I thought you and Detective Keller are on a date?

**Elias Kötz: **WHAT? i was at the station helping her with a case as requested by lieutenant muller, genius

Oh.

Monika felt her cheeks boil in embarrassment.

**Monika:** Okay, Kötz. Meet you there.

**Elias Kötz:** are you jealous?

Monika was taken aback at that question. She scowled at the phone and thought of a clever reply, but she just shoved it in her pocket and prepared to meet him at the diner. Damn you, Kötz! No way was she going to let him get away with a tease.

The bike ride to Otto's Diner was uneventful. So many cars honked at her as she penetrated through traffic, and the sun had blinded her cerulean eyes so much she was exhausted of squinting. Monika was used to pre-6AM activity (or the lack thereof) that it was almost baffling what the situation was in rush-hour. Thankfully she had the punctuality to arrive an hour early at work, even without a car.

Monika retired her bike to the metal stalls, sad to see the new-fangled bike lockers full. She made her way to the doors, almost stubbing her foot on the wheels of a black sedan, and finally got a good look at the diner. It was full of life. She crossed her fingers that Elias had the chance to pick their spot. A booth shadowed perfectly from the glaring sun, and far enough down the booths to drown out the sound of vehicles outside.

She saw Elias chugging his coffee, thankfully on that spot, and immediately sat opposite of him.

"Hello Kötz," she greeted. The corners of her lips attempted to pull up, causing Elias to do the same. But his expression was a beaming, genuine one.

"You didn't reply... that's weird." he said.

"How am I supposed to reply at such a silly question?" Monika forced a sideways stare. "What were you two doing at the station, anyway?"

Elias leaned back and shrugged. "Rachel has a lead on one of the shooters back in Operation Feuerblitz. He was ex-RFD, she thought I knew him."

Monika's face went pale. Operation Feuerblitz... that happened in the KBW Bankengruppe in Berlin. The same damn mission that appeared in her stupid dream. She tried to recall all that happened.

First mission as a GSG 9 operative. Twelve hostages in the bank. A bullet that was stopped by her kevlar vest. A grenade swiftly kicked out of the way before it exploded right in her team's faces...

It was her first brush with death.

"Yeah... you weren't there long..." Monika trailed off. Her long gaze fell on Elias's syrup-covered pancake, oblivious to the noticeable frown forming on her lips.

Feuerblitz started with twelve hostages and ended with eleven. Monika never knew the name of the only casualty in the operation, and she never planned to. To know the identity of someone she couldn't save— that was too much to bear

"Are you okay, Monika?" Elias suddenly spoke. There was concern in his voice.

Monika could only sigh. "I didn't sleep well, that's all."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Monika looked to Elias, realizing that his beam had turned to a frown.

"Not really."

Elias smiled. "Well, whatever it is, don't let it stop you from having a good day."

She didn't want to bring up that topic again, but it was okay. Elias was here with her, ready to listen and cheer her up with whatever antics he had in his sleeve. For her own sake, she doesn't want to vent, but the fact that there was him by her side seemed to comfort her enough to shove those thoughts at the back of her mind again.

A glance at the semi-reflective surface of the glass window beside her revealed a frazzled-up woman in a field jacket. Monika could even see her eyes flashing a glint of worry and fear, something that Elias could've spotted once he stared at her enough. Under the blonde's coat was a fit bright pastel T-shirt fresh out the laundry— another discrepancy that displayed she wasn't being the tough-as-nails Monika Weiss that her coworkers knew.

Monika didn't want to admit it, but she was okay showing a little unprofessionalism in front of someone like Elias, with his flashy bomber jacket and ripped jeans.

"Shall I order the Ice Queen something to eat?" the man in question smirked, waiting for an answer. Monika performed a weak nod.

Suddenly, a hand was placed on top of hers. She looked to him once again, subtly awestruck at the sign of affection.

"We're co-workers, Monika, but you're also my friend," Elias said. At that point the blonde had seen the geniune emotions plastered on his face. And for a second she thought it was a mask to comfort her troubles, to ensure her that someone was there for her in a chaotic world— but she realized what it was. It was sincerity. It was always right there with him since the beginning. "And I'm always there for my friend."

There was a name for every emotion. For every sign of care and kindness, and for every laugh and goodwill that came after a tease. Monika had put them behind the layers of proficiency and technical terminologies. But there was no denying—that deep inside the subconscious—she knew what it was. At least, that there was something, even though she didn't want to admit it.

For the first time that morning, Monika smiled. A real smile, for that matter.

* * *

"_I'm guessing she's your prized genius."_

The woman shifted her gaze away from the blonde across the diner and focused on the 'Präsident der Bundespolizeidirektion Sankt Augustin'. God, that was a mouthful— if she wasn't already learning the German language. Thankfully, General Lieutenant Wagner was adamant in being called whatever she was comfortable with.

"_Yes, err... like I said, she's on a day-off. She's not 'slacking off' as you Americans would say,"_ Wagner scratched the back of his head, smiling sheepishly. "_We're also giving her extra time to develop her Spectre, so she's not at work all the time... but I promise you, all the things I have said about her? It is not going to wear off soon."_

"_What about the other one?"_ the American asked.

Wagner turned around to take another good look and faced the woman again. "Elias Kötz. He was part of the Rapid Forces Division, but we immediately recruited him. Why? Are you keeping tabs on him as well?"

"_I'll look into that."_ the woman smiled. "_Thank you, Herman. You at least made my trip here a little worthwhile."_

Wagner chuckled. "_All around the world, huh? You people are very ambitious... Erm, that ist a complement..."_

"_No doubt,"_ the woman brought her hand out for a firm handshake, and she left the diner, eyeing the one-and-only Monika Weiss for a few seconds on her way out.

Hopefully, everything will turn out fine. Although she didn't like how stressed-out Monika was looking, she will still consider her. A genius, marksman, and soldier? The blonde was a jack of all trades.

The woman entered her black sedan and started the long trip to the airport. Wagner's comment on 'ambition' was still buzzing around in her head. Biting her lip, she pressed on with determination.

* * *

**A/N:** I wonder who that mysterious woman is... hmm... Well I guess it's pretty obvious. This chapter is a little short, but I wanted to shed some light in their relationship some more, and also in Monika's GSG 9 experience. So I guess this doesn't count as filler? Lol.

Anyway, next chapter will be a lot more... romantic?

6/4/20: Fixed some continuity errors.

* * *

Monika turns to Elias after a horrifying nightmare of the past.


	4. Chapter 4 - Eiskönigin

Sorry it took so long! Also, another reminder that dialogue spoken between Germans are in German. It will be implied if they're speaking in English or French- just like the last few chapters. Enjoy!

* * *

The sun emerged as a disk the color of molten iron behind the mist-shrouded silhouettes of Paris atop the horizons, just a few kilometers away from the cool palettes of Versailles's military compounds. As Monika watched, the cool thermals of morning bathed her with a misty half-light and a light breeze to complement it. Clusters of dull army barracks and facilities surrounded an equally drab building erected in the middle of the area.

"The French GIGN headquarters," Monika whispered, more to herself than to the cheery woman beside her. "They moved here from Maisons-Alfort in 1982 before it became a police tactical unit of a bigger organization… GSIGN. That is until seven years ago, when the two merged together and became the same thing after they reached two-hundred operators."

"That's so cool!" Adler exclaimed.

"Eh. I've been here before."

It was true. After her recruitment in the GSG 9 and her invention of the RED Spectre's first prototype, DSO intellects invited her to Satory for a defence exhibition. It seemed like an eternity when that happened. Maybe it was.

A slight nudge disturbed her shoulders.

"Lighten up, Ice Queen. It's my first time he—"

"I-Ice Queen!?" Monika exclaimed. Then, she turned to her friend, jaw open and eyes stricken with shock. "You know that!?"

"Yes!" Adler smiled. "Elias even told us to kneel once you arrive in the bus."

"Goddamn it…"

Officer Erika Adler. Straight from the bustling city of Berlin, the ace cop of Reinickendorf was invited to Satory as well. The freckled brunette was respectful and kind. She even shook Monika's hand at the knowledge of the latter's contribution to the force. Alas, Monika did not like the over-enthusiastic nature, because Erika Adler acted like a college girl wrongly drafted by Germany.

Great… Now another cop knows about that dreaded nickname. The next thing Monika knows, every officer in Europe will be referring to her as the 'Ice Queen'. It was only a matter of time. Elias was the same rascal no matter who he was rubbing elbows with.

Now she knows why that goofball was all too elated during the three-hour trip to Versailles.

How come she was stuck with a stupid moniker like 'Ice Queen'? Why not something sweet- or sensible- like Moni, or Nika? Or better: Weiss. The pride of her namesake. Ice Queen was a rip-off from that childish cartoon movie in America, anyway.

"I am the only woman with his stupid nicknames... *sigh*"

Monika stretched her legs. The satisfaction of finally standing up and exiting that bus was enough to lighten up the fire inside her brain. Nevermind the uneventful trip- she was looking forward in meeting the Gendarmerie's finest specialists. Today was the day the BPOL was going to participate in another joint training with the GIGN, a welcome departure from the boring weeks of paperwork back in the old station. Monika liked paperwork. However, too much of it back-to-back proved to be daunting.

"Hey, it's a sweet nickname," Adler said. "My guys back at my precinct are never that fun."

"Please. It's unprofessional and childish."

Finally, the rest of the team caught up with the two women. About thirteen of them— coming from different parts of Germany— arrived groggily to the entrance of the compound where they waited for Lieutenant Pierre to pick them up.

Adler turned to Monika once more. "Do you like him?"

Monika almost choked. "Uhm…"

Wait! Why was she thinking at all? And more importantly, why did Adler even care?

"No! Of course not!" she blurted aloud, catching the attention of her teammates. She smiled sheepishly and continued, "We're just friends. Yes. That is correct… Friends."

Adler's face lit up. "Really?"

"I guess so."

"I was thinking of asking him out."

Monika almost choked again. "What!?"

"I asked him if he was single. He said yes, so…"

Oh. Looks like Erika Adler wasn't the ace cop that everyone regarded her to be, falling into the pits of 'workplace romance' like that… Monika could vomit if she could. Like the blonde's mentor once said: Love is the worst distraction from productivity. Sadly, her sisters didn't take that wisdom to heart as one of them had a fiancé.

Monika shook her head. She couldn't imagine Elias with another woman. The neurons electrifying her brain refused to prop up an image of that, but also, he was a good cop. He shouldn't be 'falling in love' with anyone at all… That would be ridiculous.

"Tch." She scoffed. "The man wouldn't know how to find love… He can't even find his maturity."

"Ha! You got that right!"

Monika rolled her pools of cerulean, inadvertently landing on the sight of an open Peugeot P4 cruising towards them. Behind the immaculate windshields sat two men: the driver, donning a camouflaged field jacket and an olive beret, and an important looking man waving at the newly arrived soldiers. The older fellow wore a blue peaked cap and a sturdy battledress- a lieutenant, perhaps?

"Bonjour, officers. My name is Lieutenant Pierre-"

The fifteen GSG 9 operatives saluted, eliciting a lazy one from the Frenchman himself.

-and may I ask where Commissioner Blau is?"

"_Il est au sein du ministère de la Défense, lieutenant,_" Elias spoke with fluent French, stepping forward. "_Il a dit que tu prendrais soin de nous._"

Lieutenant Pierre was taken aback. He nodded his head in approval and laughed with the younger German.

"_Est-ce que vous parlez français?_"

"_Oui!_"

Monika smiled. She hearkened back to the memories of staying up all nigh to help Elias study the beautiful French language. There, she put her organization skills to good use, always keeping track of his progress with a detailed log-book and her own system of levels for mastering anything. She preferred keeping the technique classified.

So, when Elias can finally hold a conversation in another language, Monika was the first to hold a joyful excitement. Like a teacher seeing her student grow. Of course, she still has to give credit where credit's due- she was proud that Elias was the first to give a lasting impression with respecting French culture.

Lieutenant Pierre gestured the Germans to follow him.

The following events were a blur, at most. The lieutenant lead the group ecstatically, giving them a tour of the compound's many highlights. Following a cobblestone road that cut through the freshly trimmed grass of the clearings, Monika took note of the names of various vintage vehicles that adorned the area. They were mostly replicas of Cold War-era tanks and armoured cars manufactured by France in the past. The Char 13t-75 Modèle 51, or the AMX-13: a light tank named after its 13-ton weight, featuring a reliable chassis and exported to more than a dozen nations. The ARL-44, in which only sixty were made. The VBC-90. The Panhards. Monika didn't know the engineering of it all, but she was sure it was intricate and well-designed. A signature of the French, especially during Cold War tensions with East Germany and the scheming Russians. It wasn't as good as the German counterparts— probably— But that was her inner-patriot speaking.

After the vehicles were the artillery guns and retro-techs, all plastered with Camouflage Europe Centrale. Olives, beiges, and light browns. Now that she noticed, every French-made subjects in Satory, including the well-mannered Lieutenant Pierre, were a stark contrast to the GSG 9's cobalt-colored attire.

Everything was a stark contrast to Monika's life in Sankt-Augustin, too.

It dawned on her. Like a bullet, she was hit with a sense of spectacle. Perhaps her life in the Rhein-Sieg district muted her with a false sense of smallness. The themes of a small town, a small station, and just a tiny P12 strapped to her police vest made it seem like she was just a normal cop, with a more-than-average salary that came with a special part-time job. Monika was in the GSG 9. She was closer to the military than she thought, and the sight of sprawling barracks and guard towers, coupled with a French lieutenant giving them a tour-

Huh, she thought. All that was enough to take her mind off the dreaded pet names. Elias did remind her of high school antics.

"Finally," Adler whispered to Monika. "No more of that boring tour."

The team was here, and Monika had to look up to see the main GIGN headquarters in its entirety. The architecture was uniform, uninteresting, and as bland as the scratched grey paint that coated most of it. Perfect! he French made this one compact and practical; the Weiss family's motto. It was nothing like the unnecessary design of the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart- she wanted to look at the company's history, not the building's flashy architecture.

"The squad, whom you will train with for the next few days, are waiting for you. Please, greet your fellow soldiers well, oui?" Lieutenant Pierre said. He opened the clean glass doors to the entrance of the building, revealing the steal plated lobby doused in bleach and lightened with blinding fluorescent lights.

Monika's heart filled with excitement. She couldn't wait! This was her second joint training with soldiers from a different country. She would get to share tactics, mention past experiences, and rub elbows with the finest men and women from across the globe. It was an opportunity that came rare, and Monika was going to savour every moment of it. There was a huge smile on her face, by then.

Adler seemed to notice it. "Ooh, looks like someone's excited!"

Monika shook her head. "Is this your first time?"

"Nope. Lots of Spanish and Polish troops come to Berlin to train with us. But it's my first time with the GIGN, if that's what you mean."

"I'm mostly looking forward in meeting Emmanuelle Pichon. Do you know her?"

"Yeah, from R&D. You two have a lot in common, I heard."

She was right. Emmanuelle was just like Monika Weiss in a lot of aspects— professional, and familiar with gadgets. She engineered drones for the GIGN, and if Monika recalled correctly, the Frenchwoman's drones were used in Cologne too.

This was also Elias's second time with the French. That lucky bastard. Speak of the devil, he was looking around the lobby as the squad made their way inside.

Monika approached him and grabbed his attention. "What's going on?"

"Oh nothing, Monika," Elias said. "Just expecting a friend."

"You have a friend here?" Monika asked.

"Yup! We met when the year began. Remember Bremen?"

Monika chuckled, the first time today. It was likely that the guy he befriended was like Elias himself or that Brunsmeier character. Always joking around. Good cops… but could be a lot more professional. She thought if Elias hung out with other stern officers like her, it would be a breath of fresh air for Elias. He said he was working on it. Whatever that meant.

"Oh, there she is!" Elias said.

Monika turned to see a group of soldiers that had arrived from the stairs, donning black PT gear reminiscent of those from the Police Academy. One operator, a pretty brunette with a tight ponytail, looked to their direction with surprise and elation.

"Wait…" Monika furrowed her eyebrows. "She!?"

"Eli!" a voice called out.

"Emma!"

With those words, the woman ran into Elias's welcoming arms. The friendly embrace lasted for three-point-seven seconds, before they broke the hug with cheery grins and laughs.

"_It's you!_" Emma said, giggling as she planted her eyes on the man in front of her.

"_The one and only. How are you doing, Emma?_"

Monika's jaw dropped to the steely floors. She could almost hear it clatter. They knew each other? A feeling rose inside her chest, prompting her to freeze in place with a pale face riddled with shock, all the while realising who the woman was.

It was Emmanuelle Pichon!

Adler leaned in towards a flabbergasted pile of jealousy.

"Single? Psh," she said. "I don't like liars. Maybe I won't ask him out…"

"…"

Monika did not know why her fists were clenched.

From that point on, she tried to shame every piece of French machinery she had seen for the last hour. Stupid tanks. Stupid artillery guns! That is, until she halted. What was she doing? What was she thinking?

Adler nudged her to come nearer to Emma, prompting the Frenchwoman to take notice of the blonde's presence. Monika noticed, as she averted her gaze away from Pichon, that more French soldiers came from upstairs to mingle with the new arrivals, all donning the same dark apparel. The excitement somehow subsided.

Her attention was rattled Emma shook Monika's hand with great intensity, almost dizzying the German.

"_Welcome to France, Madame Weiss!_" she greeted. "_I'm such a huge fan! Your work… mondieu, it's one of the best!_"

Monika had no idea how to react to the compliment.

It was then that Emma turned her head back to Elias. "_Eli, thank you so much for the chance to meet her!_"

"_Anything for a friend,_" Elias replied.

Friends. Okay, Monika. Calm down.

"…"

Afternoon in Satory. The automatic fire of machine guns became an ensemble of discord as multiple bullet-trails, coming from a row of AA-52's, whizzed past a lush field bordered by a metal fence. 7.62x51mm NATO rounds pierced a sturdy wooden board a hundred yards from the French mitrailleuses. None of the bullets went astray to the vegetated expanse in the area.

Monika focused on nothing in particular, although she didn't notice it. Her body slowly became autonomous- involuntarily leaving its main processor to do something else, and that was pulling the machine gun's trigger within a one-point-four second interval. She didn't notice the annoyed Frenchman beside her. Sargent Pommel simply put his palm on his forehead.

"_It is a machine gun, woman!_" he exclaimed. "_You don't have to do it in burst- bonté divine…_"

Monika didn't hear him. She continued the controlled burst of her weapon while her blues trailed off further to an insignificant patch of grass. The brooding was getting worse- she might as well be asleep now.

Eli. Emma.

How come Monika was stuck with a stupid nickname like 'Ice Queen', anyway?

"_Sargent Pommel, is zhere something wrong?_" Erika Adler's accent was laced with a heavy German. "_Ist Weiss bothering you?_"

"_Non. No, not really,_" Sargent Pommel said. "S_he's not responding to me._"

"_Something is just going on inside little Miss Einstein's head rhight now."_

"_Get her out of it, then!_"

"_Let me try somezhing._" Adler whirled her head around. "_ELIAS KÖTZ!_"

"_… what?_"

"_Come here!_"

Elias gestured his gunnery partner to wait and approached Adler.

"What?"

"Take care of your girlfriend, please? She needs some loving." Adler smirked and landed a playful jab at Elias.

"Erika, you funny girl." Elias laughed. "What's wrong with her now?"

"It's like she's not in this planet."

"Oh, is it Monika-Code-Red?"

"What?"

Elias laughed again. "We- er, I have this system whenever Monika's not herself. Monika-Code-Blue is when it's that time of the month. Monika-Code-Black is when she's too focused to care about anything. Monika-Code-Orange when she's drunk, and Monika-Code-Red when she's daydreaming."

"Kck… AHAHA!" Adler laughed aloud. "Genius! Zhat's so genius!"

"Right? I'm becoming like her."

"You wish. Now do something!"

In Monika's periphery, Elias knelt and scootched nearer to the mounted machinegun. A tap on the shoulder and a familiar voice awoke her from her entrenched thoughts.

Calling out her name was enough to snap her out of the daydream. Monika blinked.

"Kötz?"

"Yes," he said. "What's wrong?"

Monika shook her head and stopped firing. "What do you mean?"

"It's a machinegun. You don't have to do it in burst."

"Oh, right," Monika said. She looked around. "Where's my partner?"

Elias pointed to her left, where a Frenchman tapped his foot with crossed arms and furrowed eyebrows. An embarrassed flush consumed Monika's cheeks. "Oh… Sorry…"

"It's fine. Right Pommel?"

The soldier rolled his eyes and muttered something in French. He made his way out of the range, scratching the back of his head.

"Shit…" Monika cursed. "I didn't notice."

Elias could only burst in laughter and patted Monika on the shoulder.

"What's bothering you now?"

Really? Monika gritted her teeth and pulled the trigger as hard as she can. Her index finger stung as a flurry of rounds rained down and penetrated the wooden board. Within seconds, a gaping hole appeared. Brought by rage, and a strong emotion she couldn't decipher yet.

"Oh, nothing much, _Eli_."

Emphasizing the last word, Monika scoffed.

Elias paused. An 'O' shaped formed on his mouth as he nodded. A smile crept up to his lips.

"Oh," he said. "I get it."

Monika realized what that meant. A deadpan face instantly turned to that of dread when it dawned on her. Eyes wide, she turned to Elias. This was bad. She let her emotions get the better of her!

"No, it's not what you think! I promise!"

Elias smirked. "Monika… my god, you didn't have to…"

"I WASN'T JEALOUS, OKAY!?"

"Monika, those are just nicknames. You don't have to worry. Emma is not my-"

"I know! And I don't care! Just... just ignore what I said, okay!?"

Monika wanted to go home. Leave France for a while and come back when it all blows over. What kind of man does Elias think he is? She didn't care. Elias could woo as many ladies as he liked- why would that affect her, even?

And she wasn't jealous. Not at all. She was the BPOL's prized genius. The last thing she needed to fret on was being outclassed by Emmanuelle Pichon, an equally smart soldier... Who was younger than her. Prettier than her... More outgoing than her...

Monika frowned. That's when she rested her forehead on the iron rails of the AA-52.

"Okay." Elias snickered. "Whatever you say."

"Ugh. It's just... really? Emma? Why does she have a good nickname and I'm stuck with... with Ice Queen!?" Monika added.

"...I mean, I don't care either way. Just annoying."

Elias sighed. "I've only known Emma for two months. I've known you for a year and a half now. Emma and I don't have that friendly 'banter' we have. So... forgive me, okay?"

Monika pursed her lips. "Whatever."

"Besides... it's not like I like her or anything."

"I..." Monika stammered. "Okay. I don't care if you like her or not."

"Hmmm?" Elias said slyly. He was clearly poking fun of her.

At that point, she landed a fist on his shoulder. "That's true!"

"I like a different woman, Monika."

"..."

"She's smart, she's really serious, she always gets teased, she-"

Monika couldn't take it anymore. She stood up with noodle-like legs, almost stumbling on her own feet. Her blood was boiling now. Embarrassment percolated from her veins like a dripping water cooler.

"Keep that to yourself!" she needed water now. Her throat was parched. "Just... stop calling me Ice Queen."

Elias laughed. "See you around, then, Schatze (precious)"

"SHUT UP!"

Monika's lips were twitching. She put a hand on her rising-and-falling chest in an effortless attempt to calm it. That little rascal was it again. Always teasing... always making fun of her.

She did her best to quarantine her blush. At least _that_ was better than Ice Queen.

* * *

**A/N:** Oooo. Looks like our girl Twitch is here! Do you y'all wanna see Rook too? *wink wink*. Expect faster uploads this time, because I've actually took the time to plan out this whole story. Thanks for reading! Also, I added these little summaries at the very end of the chapters for some reason. They're kinda a recap/synopsis. I've been watching a lot of Netflix shows and I thought of including a little description within each episode (or in this case, chapter).

* * *

Monika gets jealous and wonders why she was nicknamed 'Ice Queen'.


	5. Chapter 5 - Ausweichen und Fangen

**Ausweichen und Fangen - Dodge and Catch**

* * *

Monika's eyes fluttered open. Morning, but the sun hasn't risen yet. From the side of her bed, she pulled out her phone and minded the time: 4:50 AM. She celebrated the victory as silent as she could, daring not to disturb the slumber of her comrades. It was ten minutes before Lieutenant Pierre would wake them up with a blaring alarm.

She sat upright, whirling her head around the dark interiors inside one of Satory's many barracks. Columns of beds, all occupied by women, were barely lit by the lone lamp post outside. Monika snuck a yawn through her nose, stood up, and made her bed. She was glad she was still on top of her game. Her early thirties weren't as mind-harrowing as she thought it would be, because as far she knows, the prime of her life wasn't over yet.

There was a sense of difficulty in adjusting her body clock in France. For some reason, not being in her homeland gave her a harder time in adapting her precious sleep schedule. She tried to manage as best as she can, and it paid off eventually. After two or three days of sleeping early and memorizing wake-up calls, she can finally seize the day earlier than her comrades— a trademark of the Weiss family. The early bird gets the worm.

She remembered a little notification when she checked the digital clock a minute ago. Bringing the phone to her face once again, she noticed two unread messages. One from Elias. Typical. And one from her sister. A little more unusual.

Elias's message was the first one she read.

**Elias:** good morning, ice queen. I mean, IQ. I mean, Monika.

Monika furrowed her eyebrows. He obviously hasn't forgotten about their first day in Satory a week ago. And the message was sent at 11:43PM; that was terribly late at night! She typed a reply.

**Monika:** Unfortunately, I did not get the chance to reply to this unnecessary message. Please, sleep earlier next time. It is good for your body and a soldier should always mind their schedules. The RFD would not approve of this; I am just stating. Also, refer to me as Monika, or more ideally, Weiss.

After sending the message, she quickly turned her attention to her sister's. It was sent at 9:44PM, just half-an-hour after her slumber. Curiously consumed Monika as to what her sibling was up to now. She skimmed through four text boxes.

**Eva:** Hallo, my beautiful crime-fighting sister! did you miss me? I sure hope so! I'm getting married! ASDFGHJKL. can you believe it? of course you can. LOL!

**Eva:** I already sent you the details in your e-mail. invite as much friends as you can in your station. even your boyfriend (do you have one?). you can even invite your captain or commissioner or general. just reach out to me with all the names you have and they'll be added on the list. just do it before the wedding.

**Eva:** Anyway, I hope your stay in sankt-augustin is a good one. we miss you. a lot. stay safe and remember to sleep earlier than 10PM. ignore western myths, embrace researched-facts, and semper fi!

**Eva:** (smiley face)

Monika reflected the happy emoticon with her lips. Her heart melted for Eva Weiss, the eldest of the Weiss family. She was about to get married, and Monika couldn't be more proud of her sister. Eva met her special someone when she was just Monika's current age— thirty years old— and the two lovebirds have been happier ever since. The fiancé was lucky to be dating one of the strongest women in the genius's eyes. She typed another reply.

**Monika:** I will. I am so happy for you, Eva.

A tap on the link revealed an online wedding-card that displayed pink and pale blue accents. She scrolled through typical invitation jargon and arrived at the most important pieces of text: The wedding was to be held in mid-March, at the famous botanical garden of Lichtenberg. The reception was in a hotel ballroom a few blocks from the ceremony's street. Monika had been in weddings before, but none from her family. They were mostly friends or other relatives- and she hated being invited to just sit around and wait for the weds to kiss and get it all done and dusted. The reception afterwards was either boring or lacked in healthy food.

However, this was earnestly different. Monika's sister was getting married, and nobody in the family would've believed it at first. Eva Weiss was a no-nonsense woman like the rest of her siblings. When she found her love, Eva ditched the formal grammar in texts, even going as far as using contractions in speech. She would render her smile with cheer, and not with courtesy and steel.

In another life, Monika would've despised Peter Schneider for replacing Eva's majestic surname with his. Not this one. Monika's happiness for her own blood superseded the 'long-lasting implications of marriage' much to her father's dismay.

It was then that she felt the presence of someone's footsteps. Erika Adler rubbed her green eyes.

"Good morning, Moni," she said.

"Good morning, Adler."

A dozen predictions frittered inside her brain as to what Adler will have to quip now; after all, that woman had caught her smiling. The brunette was _bound_ to be curious why Monika of all people would display such emotion. A lamp lit inside Monika's head. Knowing that Adler was all too familiar about the friendship between Monika and Elias...

"Are you texting your boyfriend?"

Her prediction was correct!

"YES!" Monika exclaimed victoriously. She was right! Adler _was _going to tease her again. That was score one for Monika, against no one in particular. These prediction games she held in her head never got old; it just highlights her unconquerable ingenuity.

"..."

_Oh no. _

At the drop of a hat, Monika's smug face instantly turned to that of dread and terror when she realized the grave mistake. Did... Did she just say something _incredibly _stupid right now?

"Oh. My. God," Adler said. "You—"

"NO, NO, NO!" Monika cut her off. "We weren't texting! I was just predicting that you were going to tease me about him today, so I said yes because I was right! We're not together and I am _not _his girlfriend, I swear to—"

Monika trailed off once she realized the world of _scheisse _she was in. Every woman in the barracks had woken up. Every soldier stared at the frantic woman who was running her mouth like an unsupervised duck. All of them donning faces of curiosity, annoyance, and irritation. She could feel her heart skip a beat, one of embarrassment and shame. Monika's cheeks immediately turned bright red.

"Er..."

Adler was laughing behind the palms covering her face, trying her best not to burst out laughing. Monika looked on with horror.

_Not a great start for the day..._

* * *

Hangar B  
Satory's Western Airstrip

_"Time finished at thirty-two seconds!"_

Monika was breathless. She carefully plopped down a Glock 18 on the unpolished desk and felt for her shoulder. It stung, but only just a little bit. Nothing too bad to cause a fuss- the opponents had it much worse with the training. The genius had pumped Sargent Pommel's chest with a four-round burst and he was already giving her the stink-eye. Officer Caulfeld of the Leipzig district had a nasty mark on his forehead, courtesy of the GIGN's supplied simunition rounds. And finally, Elias Kötz started to walk funny after busting his shin on a table and getting shot by Officer Nizan on the legs.

Still, she berated herself. A single tag might not be a big deal to Pierre, but it was to her. Perhaps she was too quick to enter the hostage room; or did she just need to improve her trigger-finger? Monika shrugged. The following hours were reserved for licking wounds and waiting for the second batch to finish in the kill-house. She would've contemplated it further if her team lost, but they didn't.

That brought a smile to her face. It was the first time after lunch. Monika was glad her embarrassment back in the barracks didn't eventually get to her as disastrous as she thought it would, especially in the training. Her German friends had already forgotten about that 'incident', but she didn't know what her French friends had to say.

Monika sat down a bench near the hangar's gigantic sliding doors. A harsh divide between shadow and light cast over near one-third of the large shelter. The shadows weren't long, but it had a tilt relative to the expanse above. That meant it was either one or two in the afternoon.

She was ready to look at her watch to verify her prediction, but someone had caught her eye. A man limped towards her in her periphery. It was Elias. He donned a painful smile and a flashed a half-arsed wave— that's what he gets for being so clumsy.

"Hallo, Monika!" he greeted.

"Kötz. How's your leg?"

Elias looked down to his lower limbs for a moment but shrugged. He made his way beside Monika and sat down with a groan.

"There's a nasty bruise down there, but I'm okay," he said. "How's your shoulder?"

"Don't worry about me. I can't even feel it," Monika said.

"You're paralyzed!? Quick, we need to cut off your arms!"

Monika chuckled. She quickly covered her mouth.

"Ah, is that a laugh?" Elias smirked. "Did I make you laugh?"

"Tch. You wish."

Monika was ready to berate herself for indulging in petty jokes when she noticed Elias bend down and look under the bench. He pulled out a dirt-raked ball adorned with blue and yellow colors. Judging by the six identical sections that made up the rubber, and the words 'Misaka' written boldly on the front, it was a volleyball— presumably abandoned by the GIGN trainees in the past. Did they play sports in the compound, too?

Admittedly, Monika was never good with sports. Her competitive nature was well reserved for other fields like engineering and coding. Still, she would've found her competent drive even if she had picked up a football or a tennis racket in her youth, although she couldn't imagine it. Her exercise routine and impeccable diet always made up for the lack of involvement with games and the like.

"Let me guess, you want to play volleyball?" she said, crossing her arms.

"Nope," Elias replied. He stood up and clutched the ball with both arms, gesturing her to play with him. "I was thinking... Völkerball (dodgeball)."

"We're Americans now?"

"Sources are muddy when it came to who invented which, but the Africans were said to throw rocks and sticks at their soldiers to improve endurance. Eventually, it became a game or something."

Monika nodded, having learned something new today. She had to check up on that in Wikipedia. "Hmm, okay... I didn't know that."

"See? I know lots of trivia too."

As of Elias's offer, Monika had nothing to do today. Why the hell not? It was time taken out of her hands. Some cleaners will have to fix up the kill-house and the team captain will have to explain strategy to the second batch, and that'll take more than half an hour. She was also confident in trying the sport for the first time; dodging balls and throwing them at the opponent don't sound too hard. It's like comparing chess to hopscotch.

Standing up, she tried to motion her shoulder in an attempt to adapt to the wound. Monika only winced in pain. This was going to take a day to fully heal, but it shouldn't be a big deal.

"What's the time limit?" Monika started. "Is there a barrier between the two opponents? What are the fouls? Do we need to-"

"Let me stop you right there. It's just dodgeball, you don't have to be a Magnus Carlsen to win..."

Monika nodded. "Okay... Then I volunteer myself to be the thrower. You will be the dodger."

"Woah woah..." Elias laughed and pointed to his legs. Now that he stepped into the light, Monika can now clearly see the bullet marks riddled on his field pants. "I'll be at a disadvantage. I'm not as agile as I used to be eight minutes ago."

That's fair. Monika's back was also facing the hangar walls; so it would be easier for both of them if Elias was the thrower. That way, if he missed or if Monika dodged, the ball will just bounce back to their general direction. Nobody would also want to disrupt the sargents huddled up deep in the hangar, lest they want a sports accessory to go astray in the middle of training. That'll cost a slap on the wrist, for sure.

Speak of the devil, Monika made sure to position herself behind the hesco barriers separating the two competitors and the GIGN-GSG 9 bunch. Nobody will see them now. After all, she was going out on a limb for the sake of recreation- not something she'd do, but it's worth it to at least alleviate the sting on her shoulder.

Monika bent her knees slightly. She posed for a confident stance; one that would ensure a quick and agile dodge once the ball starts whizzing. Elias's upper body strength unfortunately beat her own. Her best advantage would be if she can be as fast as a cat and as frisky as a fighter jet. She looked at it analytically: Elias would have to pull back, albeit just a second, to finally hurl the ball to her direction. Those seconds were precious. He too, will have to make a stance to start the game, and it would give Monika's peppy reflexes enough time to evade the bullet.

"I'm ready..."

This was a losing situation to Elias. She smirked.

_No!_ Monika thought. This is exactly what that rascal would've wanted. She shouldn't smile, mentally or not. She couldn't let her guard down, because the blessing of having a petite body also gave her another edge; and she could never put that to waste. Gritting her teeth, she opened her mouth to say something, keeping the red alert.

...

Nothing. Monika riled up her prediction nerves now. She gazed deep into Elias's eyes, searching. Waiting. For a flick, for a change in direction. She had to account for reverse-psychology, too, because that man could've—

Elias flung the ball.

"...!"

Monika's senses immediately flared up. She flinched as every neuron in her body lit on fire, edging her to shuffle away from the oncoming projectile...

But nothing whizzed past her. Instead, Elias kept the ball on his hands with a smile on his face.

"Kck... Ahaha!" he laughed. "Nice reaction, you were so ready!"

"..."

Elias was going for another trick. There's a high chance he was melting her aptness, what with the smiles and the laughs. But nobody was going to fall for that.

Monika braced herself.

She didn't know why Elias was opting for a losing battle. The odds were against him. Deep in the hangar, a gun shot erupted, signifying the start or the process of an on-going exercise. Monika was regretting playing the game now... watching battle tactics and strategies with the sargents was a better plan. Alas, she couldn't back out now.

Elias set the ball down the ground. It was enough to elicit a smidgen of curiosity in Monika, disrupting her pose. "What's wrong?"

"I think you might be in a disadvantage," he said. "You're too close to the wall."

Monika raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I remember in high school... my PE teacher always said that you must maintain a two-point-three meter distance from the wall if you want to play fairly. The ball might bounce back to you and you'll lose. You don't want that to happen, right?"

The genius could only scoff. Was Elias... advising her to win? Why, with all the disadvantage he has, did he want to raise Monika's chances of victory? It's absurd!

"Er, well... Okay. If that's what you want. It's _your _loss."

"It feels better knowing you played fair," Elias replied.

That's right. Monika turned around and glanced upon a box attached to the metal wall. Her eyes were already trained to measure an object in its size. With the experience earned measuring copper and pureflex wires, she estimated a 13-centimeter length from the bottom of the PVC box to the very top. She used them as increments with those in mind. But it proved daunting. Inaccurate, at least. Analyzing 3D space, considering perspective and distortion, would be hard. So she tried to do the math. 2.3 meters... that's 230 cm converted, then divide that by 13...

Finally, absolute visualization. Elias was right, it _would _pin her in a disadvantage. The ball would bounce and hit her back at the right angle, rendering her the loser. It was an obvious peril too, now that she thought about it, so she inched herself forward away from the wall. The question remained. Why the hell would Elias give her an easier win? It didn't make sense. He would be a fool to do that, so why-

Then, it hit her in the head. _Literally_.

*thud*

The ball was softer than she imagined when it crashed on her noggin.

"YES!" Elias celebrated. "I win! I win! That's a headshot!"

"I... I..."

Monika could only clench her fist with her jaw on the floor. She... She lost! Elias deceived her— he played her like a damn fiddle! It should've come to her sooner. All the questions buzzing around her brain were now answered, but at what cost?

"Damn you, Kötz!" she muttered. The haunting sounds of victorious laughter depleted her of confidence.

* * *

Dodgeball. Second attempt.

Monika was furious now. A sweeping victory would rule over that blunder, and that would be the final deciding factor if the tenth day at Satory will be a good one or a bad one. Elias had outsmarted her; good for him. But now that Monika had felt the brunt of an embarrassing defeat, she had to go all in. No mercy. No distractions. And certainly no stupid '2.3 meter' tricks. This time, soldiers will be marching through the town center to celebrate a triumphant feat.

Monika furrowed her eyebrows and gritted her teeth. Her hands were twitching, and her feet were fidgeting like a dog riding a meat-wagon. Her pools of blue shot daggers—no, warheads— to Elias's own eyes, several meters away in distance. But her warheads were ICBM's— easily felt from the range of countries to continents. Elias even accepted a rematch... how cocky of him. He should've known that he already sealed his fate.

The ball repeatedly bounced from Elias's hands to the concrete ground, almost mocking her. Thuds were echoing every half-a-second while she was growing weary by the minute. Did he already have a plan under his sleeve? Were her expectations going to be subverted again?

"Let's make a deal." Elias smirked.

"..."

No words came out of Monika's mouth. Not when she's anticipating. Not when she's ready to pounce. It was Monika-Code-Black again, and alerts were ringing through her entire body urging her to stay vigilant. Whatever Elias had to say, it's all a con to get her to surrender her guard unwillingly.

"If you dodge the ball, you win."

Monika squinted. That was the rule, wasn't it?

"But... this is a huge _but,_ so listen up," Elias started. "If you catch the ball, I'll owe you a meal."

That worried the blonde. What the hell did that meant? Certainly, no one in their right mind would catch the ball, rightly so if an easy victory was ready to be plucked from a head-level cloud. A meal _did _sound nice, but the question of it's worth was a mystery left to be solved another time. Monika kept her focus on the ball, her eyes following every falling-and-rising motion.

...

"Moni..."

That nickname, now? That was the first time he called her that. Monika took a deep breath as her nose flared from impatience. She remained silent.

"I'd rather you catch the ball," he said.

"Huh?"

Elias finally stopped bouncing the ball and held it. He shifted his gaze to the rubber orb and pursed his lips.

"It would be nice if you catch it," he said. "It might not be the best ball in Germany— or France. It's a little rusty, and it's not so special either... but, I'd be happy if you catch it."

"I... W-what are you talking about?"

"I want you to catch it, Monika. But if you don't want to... I'll totally understand."

Monika frowned.

Her brain forced itself to spark, trying to decipher any meaning behind those... statements. Did it have a meaning? Or was it just one of his endless antics? Dodge, catch... In the abyss of her mind, she could feel that it meant something. Something that transcends just a stupid dirty ball.

She looked into his eyes once again. Now those warheads and missiles were closed off from its vessels, replaced by a telescope of curiosity that tried— wanted— to find out what Elias had portended. Dodge. Catch. Monika was overthinking it now. Everything had a reason, and for the scientific minds like hers, it meant equations.

Dodge. Catch.

Her cheeks reddened.

"A-are we talking about dodgeball, Kötz?" Monika asked. There was a goddamned feeling inside her stomach now that rose through her chest. Like a fire's touch warming her cheeks. It meant something. She was sure it did, but was she just overthinking it?

"Dodgeball. Yes." Elias affirmed. Monika didn't buy it.

"I... okay."

"So will you catch it or not?" Elias asked.

"Well I—"

Without a moment's warning, the ball flew.

Elias had flung it upwards like a basketball shot. He didn't hurl it towards Monika like a bullet she was meant to dodge or a torpedo she was meant to evade. He wasn't even _trying _to hit Monika. The ball would be following an arcing motion above them, and even a toddler could evade it with ease. At that moment, Monika was breathless. The analyzation took a backseat as the ball hit the apex of its journey. She could catch it. She could catch it now. Dodging it would be too easy!

And so, Monika jumped, her arms reaching up to stop and grab it at its denouement. Time crawled to a slow motion. It was courtesy of Monika's befuddled feelings. Whatever it meant, whatever that goofball tried to insinuate— Monika _knew_ she had to catch it. There was something in her that egged her to do it. Every neuron inside her brain, without even a tinge of her own consent, wanted to do it. She felt like she was obliged to even if her stubbornness had clouded an answer that was already there.

_She must catch it._

But her shoulder stung. The wound sent waves upon waves of pain throughout her entire nervous system. Her arm contracted as a result, and not even adrenaline could stop her bones from retracting her reach for just a few inches. The ball, perfectly within her ability to seize it, just brushed the tip of her fingers.

Newton's laws took place. It wasn't enough force to stop the ball, so it merrily passed over her and hit the hangar's walls.

_She couldn't catch it._

_"_I... WHAT!?"

When Monika's sneakers landed on the blacktops, she dropped to her knees in defeat. She lost. _Again_. All because of that stupid little ball... The confidence dropped down to a shrink and she was washed over with a grueling sense of defeat. Why. How.

_Grr... screw this..._

A hand reached out to Monika. It was Elias's. The woman groggily took it to stand up and flash a sideways stare of death to that rascal. Those warheads were at it again. Monika made sure that Elias knew what he had done to her.

"My win..." he smirked.

"You are by far the worst opponent I've ever dealt with."

"Thank you!"

"That was not a compliment."

"But it was for me," Elias said.

Monika could only constitute an eyeroll. What a waste. She let her emotions get the better of her again, and she was sure that Elias had seen her embarrassment as clear as sky. Today sucked.

"I'm glad you tried to catch the ball," Elias added. "Thank you."

Her cheeks reddened again, but she just brushed past him to check up with Pierre and the rest of the team. Monika wanted to ask the meaning of it all; perhaps to put her mind at rest for once in her life. But... she felt like she knew already. It was only a matter of confirmation. She didn't know if someday she'll get it or not, but one thing's for certain: She wanted to catch that darn ball and she lost because of it.

"I still lost..." she muttered.

"You haven't been losing at all, Monika."

Monika stopped dead in her tracks. There was a pregnant pause, but she pressed on with the fastest heartbeats. A smile was creeping to her shaking lips— maybe there's still a victory somewhere in there...

* * *

Langley, Virginia  
Central Intelligence Agency Headquarters  
0722 hours

"...will be going on next week. T-FAD will have to look into it if it comes off as shady, but it's unlikely that..."

Data Analyst Parker already dreaded the noise.

So many stimuli in the Overseas Cyber and Data Division, but he was sure he was the only one who looked like battered shit. Jeremy Parker had a bad night as well, considering everything that happened. That whole debacle with Kinsley, some stupid mechanic refusing to fix his Crown Vic... His cat even had the guts to play around important documents after dinner, so he had to chuck out another all-nighter and rewrite the paperwork for the bossman. He wanted to get it over with tomorrow and take a rest. He wanted a leave and go on a vacation with his sister. But the CIA had other plans.

At least, he did. Only that guy Montes knew what's at stake here, and Jeremy planned to tell it to the head of OCAD once and for all: William Mulligan. So he waited inside the office, keeping the door open to make it less intrusive to find an employee screwing around in there.

...

Mulligan finally walked in. "Parker?"

The young man in question stood up at the sound of his name. He held a pile of documents close to his chest.

"Good morning, sir. I believe you'd wanna see this..."

The bossman made his way behind the desk to sit down, leaning forward with curiosity as to what his boy has got to tell. "What is it?"

"Sir, so I was checking up on the HRA (Human Resources Analysts), and I found this..." Jeremy slammed the brown envelope a little too hard on the cocobolo wood, but that didn't seem to bother the authority-figure in front of him.

"Thomas Werner. He's dead. What about him?"

Jeremy bit his lip, but also mentally celebrated. Nobody dismissed him. Not today. When the higher-ups find out about this, he was sure that an operation somewhere will have to go underway, and he will be praised for bringing it to the light. A year had passed after his breakthrough in the Sulaymaniyah case. With Mulligan finally able to willingly listen for once in his miserable life, now's the time that Parker will get to contribute something big once again.

"But his brother isn't," Jeremy said. "I was sifting through encrypted calls from France to Serbia, and found this..."

He gave Mulligan a document.

"That's a transcription from a suicide bomber in France, two months ago."

Another document.

"...and that's a transcription intercepted by Cyber Security just last week. From Serbia."

Mulligan furrowed his eyebrows. Out of confusion? Out of dread?

"Parker, these are the same documents...?"

"Exactly!" he exclaimed. "Furthermore, the encryption process that were used are RSA first, then Triple DES, then Hash Algorithm with the key 'Libra'. The same—"

"The same goddamned encryption process used by whatever boogeyman's lurking under our noses."

There was a sense of urgency in the office now. One that Mulligan didn't expect. The older fellow's grey eyes narrowed in exigency and pressure as they skimmed through columns of text printed on the papers. Jeremy's heart was jumping from his chest by now. Both Americans were ready to act; whatever it takes.

Everything leads up to this. Those attacks in France, Poland, Spain... The charts were already going haywire before today. And Jeremy was terrified he was looking at the messages that indirectly killed dozens. He just hoped he wasn't too late, but something tells him that he already was. Who knows? Maybe the bigboys in the Pentagon weren't gonna allow it... But if the bombing in Chicago was all connected...

"I'm gonna call the BND," Mulligan said. "We have to warn the Germans before shit hits the fucking fan."

* * *

Special thanks to Sgt. Pickles 3 for proofreading. PM me for an invitation to the R6 Fanfiction Discord Server for writers. Also, I added the English translations for the titles. Enjoy the read and don't forget to leave in suggestions, constructive criticisms, and other reviews. Thank you!

* * *

Elias and Monika play dodgeball.


	6. Chapter 6 - Tanzen

**Tanzen - Dance**

* * *

_Leipzig, 1999_

Monika dreaded the tight dress. Worse: she was utterly bored. If she couldn't do anything productive for the next few hours, she'll have a tombstone that read: "Here lies Monika Weiss. Bored to death."

Dozens of students mingled in the middle of the grandiose ballroom, all donning dresses or tuxedos for the Abiball. It reminded her so much of those American films- a boy and a girl, holding each other close as they get nominated Prom King or Prom Queen... Disgusting and sappy. Thank goodness they have none of that in Germany.

The ceiling was high and the chandeliers were extravagant. Pillars resembling those of Doric columns bordered the marble premises, while lengthy royal-blue curtains dangled from above. Monika rolled her eyes. How much did the school even pay for this location? Surely, it wasn't worth it.

Monika took a deep breath. She wondered where her parents had gone. If memory serves her right, which it usually does, Ingrid Weiss and Albert Weiss were cruising around in their Audi somewhere in the Völkerschlachtdenkmal (Battle of the Nations monument). It was their favourite sight in the city, and she wished she was there with them. Not twiddling thumbs behind a silk-draped table with nothing to do. It was the same for other students too. Most parents, chaperones, and teachers had left the ballroom and it was up to the high schoolers to enjoy themselves for the night- typical Abiball traditions.

Her brooding came to a stop when a hand waved in front of her face. It belonged to Victoria Weiss, her peppy sister, who sat with her on table-seven.

"Helloooo. Monika?"

Monika snapped out of her thoughts. "What do you want?"

"Are you just gonna stare at nothing for the rest of the night?" Victoria asked. "What about..."

"Don't..."

"...Elijah Kraus?"

Vic smirked and crossed her arms. Again with the teasing... How long until she gets over that? Monika fidgeted for a second.

Elijah Kraus was the golden boy of her class. He had a toothy grin that melted hearts and a brain that aced exams. Monika's cheeks would explode with just a smidgen of thought about that wavy-haired, emerald-eyed, freckle-peppered boy. It was more than a shame that she wouldn't see him again after the school year. The internship at MIT, a possible entry in CalTech after that STEM Exam... It was a bitter sweet leave for Leipzig; her hometown full of memories. Unfortunately for the two, or at for least Monika, they never said a word to each other with the exceptions of shy smiles and greetings.

A sigh escaped from Monika's lips. As confident as she might be in engineering, math, and music, these kinds of things scared her like a boogeyman under the bed. Just the thought of showing her hidden feelings for that boy... she could not imagine. Monika always hoped for Elijah to initiate a conversation himself, then Monika would be all his for a moment. Alas, he was too busy hanging out with his cronies even now at the Abiball.

"Are you gonna ask him out for a dance?" Victoria said.

With those words, Monika recoiled in her seat and her eyes widened.

What will everyone think of Monika Ilse Weiss if she asks Elijah for a dance? The rumors and the teases would be inevitable. Her reputation, bold and cunning, will crumble down like a house of cards and his friends might tease her again with petty nicknames like 'Egghead' or 'Frau Einstein'.

Monika frowned at the thought.

"I will NEVER do that!"

An English love song serenaded from the speakers; as if on cue. The key of D major assured that the clusters of students disavowed their group, leaving only the couples on the dance floor fawning over the song. Immediately, Monika stuck her neck out in an attempt to spot Elijah Kraus. Was he already dancing with another girl? Or was he still talking with his friends?

"Oh, you won't?" Victoria said. "Then why are you looking for him?"

"Who said I was looking for him?"

That seemed to shut her sister up. Victoria was always cheery and supportive, but sometimes, she does so for the wrong reasons. She shouldn't dance with Elijah— even if she wanted to.

"It's your loss, Monika."

"Whatever."

The music continued, transitioning to a lovely harmony of twinkling pianos, delicate drum beats, and a voice that oozed with romance and dreaminess. Monika kept looking.

A click-clack of footsteps; it was Victoria's friends walking toward them. The two girls grinned with glee and made sure that excited squeals caught the attention of a busy Vic. A usual sight, Monika thought, for at the young age of her sister, it was obligated to them to have as much fun as they possible could.

"Vicky, come dance with us!"

"Ethan's waiting for you!"

Victoria jumped out of her chair. She flashed one last look to Monika and said something, before being taken away to the dance floors.

"Monika..." she had called her name. "Don't lose the opportunity."

"..."

Scoffing, the genius rested her arms on the table and watched her sister dance. The music had changed to an upbeat pop song inviting everyone to immerse themselves. And Monika knew how to dance— she just didn't think it was necessary after being on the dance floor for more than ten minutes.

She was alone with her thoughts again.

Monika decided to play another game with herself. The acoustic guitars were strumming the F chords. She wasn't pitch perfect yet, but for a popular song like this it was likely on the key of C or F major. Circle of fifths... her brain scrutinized. If the chord progressions where what she thought it was, then the next chord would be C.

Sure enough, it was.

A mental pat on the back was good enough to congratulate herself, yet something lingered. Monika frowned. The universe had given her another sight. Victoria's absence revealed Elijah Kraus behind her figure, talking to his circle of friends. Every now and then, he ran a hand through his wavy hair and let out a hearty laugh.

Monika's blush reddened, even with her subtle make up.

God, she thought. Her legs were begging her to stand up and walk to him. Her larynx wanted to ask the question. But her brain blared alarms louder than a missile siren and she dared not to do it. To let it go.

Monika looked to the dance floors again. By then, the music had droned on past the bridge and into the last chorus with a key change. It's surely the last one for the night.

"Good evening, seniors and juniors!" the mic proclaimed. "This is our final song for tonight. Thank you for having us, and enjoy!"

The speakers wasted no time for the next piece of music. Another love song. Slow and gentle like the colourful lights that danced around the room. Monika's chest tightened, as if an invisible force strangled her to do it. To do something.

She pursed her lips and muttered the nastiest of curse words under her breath. Monika stood up.

"Screw it!"

There was no time like this moment. Tonight was the last night she'll get to spend with the class of '99, and it didn't matter what _they_ would think. Right now, she had the chance to talk to the boy she admired and get it all over with. A dance, she thought again. A dance would be good. No big deal.

She made her way past white tables after another. Her heels clopped against the marble floors with sternness, a stark contrast to the chaos in her mind and the butterflies in her stomach. She thought long and hard. What will she say to Elijah? Should she ask him about his goals to get to Cambridge? Should she even ask him anything?

Her predicament acted like another exam. The best thing she could do was not to worry. The answers will present itself in her brain when the questions arise. Now was not the time for overthinking- it was time to have fun!

"Elijah... a dance?"

Monika shook her head. Too childish.

"Kraus. Would you like to dance with me?"

Monika shook her head again. Too mouthful.

"Eli! Come on, dance with me!"

Monika froze. The last voice didn't come from her thoughts. No- it was from another girl.

A wavy-haired brunette had clasped her arms before Elijah, shaking in suspense. She had a big, embarrassed smile on her face that revealed shiny braces- almost as shiny as the twinkling ball gown she donned. Monika fell breathless. Someone had beaten her to the race.

For a moment, she hoped. Maybe Elijah would decline.

But he didn't.

He was taken away to the dance floor, laughing with the girl. A sense of disappointment and anger washed over. A dreadful feeling of heartache filled the air, juxtaposing the playful atmosphere of the event.

The song lasted for three minutes. Only then did Monika unfroze, clenching her fists at the very last notes of the song.

* * *

_Sankt-Augustin, Present Day_

It was good to be back to her second home. As Monika observed her dusty apartment, she set down her luggage and plopped her butt down the sofa. The auspicious rays of sunshine pierced through the window, highlighting dust particles that danced through the golden highlights. It was a while when she last slept here. She couldn't wait for work tomorrow.

Her trip to Versailles made its mark on the memory lane. A hundred-or-so hours of rubbing elbows with Frankreich's finest- a good chunk of it spent time with a colleague she could relate to- the joint training was a success in her eyes. She couldn't wait to do it again. She made many friends. Pichon, Adler, Nizan, Pommel, Pierre and some others... She hoped to see them again.

Monika remembered chatting online in the barracks with Eva. The wedding was next week, but she still haven't invited anyone from work. However, there was one person who will surely be elated at an invitation. Pulling out her phone, she called Elias.

She didn't have to wait long with the tone.

"Hallo, Monika! You called. That's unusual."

Monika scoffed. "It's important."

"What is it?"

"How are you with weddings?" Monika asked. Silence fell upon them. As she waited for a response, her eyes trailed to a bunch of pictures on a drawer. CalTech, 2007. BPOL, 2011.

Abiball, 1999.

"... you know, that's a weird way to propose to me, Monika."

She choked. "WHAT!?"

"You see, you can start with 'will you marry me' or-"

"No, you idiot!" Monika exclaimed. "I'm inviting you to my sister's wedding. Do you accept or not?"

From the other end of the line, Monika heard a laugh. Damn you, Kötz!

"Yeah, sure. When is it?" he said.

"Next week. The ceremony and reception will take place in Prenzlauer Berg. In Pankow. That's all," Monika said.

"Alright! I'm looking forward to it."

"Good." Monika said. She cocked her chin to think for a moment. "Do you think I should invite Adler? Reinickendorf is near."

"Hmmm. Yes, you should. Anymore invites?"

"Yes. I'm thinking of Scholtz, Weber, and Keller."

"Schmidt?" Elias asked. If Monika recalled, Schmidt was Elias's best friend. No harm there, Schmidt was at least a good friend to her.

"Okay..."

"Oh, here's my stop! I gotta get off the bus now," Elias said. "I'll talk to you next time."

"Bye."

Monika dropped her phone and rubbed her eyes. Now that she had a moment to breath, her exhaustion came clearer. Her eyes trailed to the pictures again; reflecting upon a photo of her class from years ago. It was a group photo. She tried to remember. The songs, the food, the party... Even that guy Elijah Kraus. Her former-classmates told her heard he was married now- to a history major in London.

Those were the days when everything was much simpler. Monika just thought if, in some ways, she was still that same person when she sixteen. She hoped she wasn't.

* * *

**A/N:** I hope I can better present what Monika's character is all about. The next chapter will be Eva Weiss's wedding: it will be a long one. Special thanks to chunks for suggesting the name of Monika's younger sister. And yes, I intentionally made Elijah Kraus sound similar to Elias Kötz ;).

And please, I'm really tired at the time of uploading this so I apologize for any mistakes. You can point them out in the reviews :) Thank you!

Oh, and enjoy the read!

* * *

In the ballroom's school dance, a young Monika faces her fears.


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